The Osun State Government has said its Joint Task Force on Sunday arrested 17 Chinese nationals, nine locals, and a village head over illegal mining in the state.
The Deputy Chief of Staff to the Osun State Governor, Abdullahi Binuyo, in a statement, said the suspects were arrested following a coordinated sting operation in Ilesa and Ife areas of the State.
He added that the miners had been polluting Osun River with poisonous metals aside the economic leakages, thereby making it unsafe for human consumption and irrigation.
Binuyo stated that;
We intend to prosecute them and also make sure they pay compensation.
He noted that as part of government’s economic reforms, solid mineral is a major sector the State is exploring, adding that for those reforms to work, it was now imperative to stop illegal mining and step up enforcement activities.
The governor’s aide expressed that;
The result is what we are witnessing today. These people neither have genuine mining licences nor are they registered with the government. What they claim to have is Exploration Licences; that does not permit them to mine the way they are doing. So, we will prosecute them and make them pay damages.
Binuyo stressed that;
Apart from flouting government’s order to stay at home so as to contain the spread of COVID-19, they have created environmental disaster for us by poisoning our river which is a major public health concern.
One of the arrested Chinese named May Zam, said she was not aware they were engaged in illegal mining.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the task force, which comprises personnel of the Army, Airforce, NSCDC and DSS, is saddled with tackling crimes like kidnapping, cultism, illegal mining, among other crimes.
See photos of the suspected illegal miners being paraded;
